Breathing Exercise Secrets - How To Breathe Properly When Running And Exercising

Breathing while running may prove difficult. Proper breathing is critical for performance and running enjoyment. The better you breathe, the more oxygen is supplied to your body and working muscles, thus performance and stamina improve drastically. Unfortunately, most runners find it hard to find the best breathing rhythm.

In fact, most struggle and fall short of their real potential.Nevertheless, proper breathing can be taught and learned. It's just another skill that needs a bit of practice and diligence.

As a result, here are two breathing techniques that can help.

In From the Nose, Out From the Mouth

When it comes to setting a running-breathing rhythm, nose breathing is the way to go. Inhaling from the nose will help you keep running intensity on the low (thus prevent fatigue and overtraining), stabilize heart rate and improves focus levels. However, during high intensity running session, relying solely on the nose can be tricky. For that, make sure to use your mouth as well in the inhalation process.

Nevertheless, on the exhale, make sure to use your mouth for the task. Exhaling from the mouth helps the elimination of the highest amount of CO2, thus help prevent discomfort and fights off fatigue. In addition, this type of breathing also promotes a sense of relaxation and easygoingness.

Deep Breathing

The reason why most runners find it hard to breathe properly during running is that the most are chest breathers. Sadly enough, chest breathing is a very inefficient when it comes to getting the highest amounts of oxygen delivered to the working muscles. Opting for this breathing pattern will only leave you suffering from the chest aches, and fatigue both during the session and afterwards.

Instead, the way to go is to opt for deep breathing. Also known as diaphragmatic or belly breathing, this type of breathing involves the use of the belly and core muscles in the processes of inhale and the exhale. Opting for deeper breaths does two things: first, it allows the delivery of the maximum amount of oxygen to the body.

Secondly, it makes the process of waste and CO2 elimination more efficient and potent. Thus leading to superior running performance and results.

However, deep breathing is hard to master. For that, you need to practice it in the comfort of your home before you head out for a run. Doing so will only improve your running performance, it will also make out of you a better human. Yogis have known this for centuries, now it's your time to reap similar rewards.

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Tips for Properly Performing the Bench Press

The bench press is probably the most popular exercise among beginner weight lifters and bodybuilders. The lift seems fairly simple. I mean, you just bring the bar to your chest and push it back up, right? Actually, the bench press has several intricacies that can cause several problems if ignored:

Not targeting the pectoral muscles in the chest most effectivelyThe onset of shoulder painLacking strength and muscle gains

These are just a few examples, but I think you get the idea. Not performing the bench press correctly can slow your gains at best and cause bodily injury at worst. So let's look at a few of the most common aspects of bench pressing that go awry.

Keeping the Elbows Out

Nine times out of ten, when I'm coaching someone who complains about shoulder pain while bench pressing, it stems from them angling their elbows outward as they bring the bar to their chest. This puts an enormous amount of angular pressure on the shoulders. This not only leads to immediate pain, but can cause serious damage if left unchecked for an extended period of time.

The way to prevent this is by simply being intentional about turning your elbows inward after you've lifted the bar from the rack and before you begin lowering the bar towards your chest. This turning needn't be too pronounced. Just a slight turn in to keep your elbows near your torso as you bring the bar down and press it back upwards.

Not Expanding the Chest

The focus of the bench press should always be the pectoral muscles. Far too many lifters unintentionally shift their focus to the shoulders and triceps muscles by having their back completely flat against the bench while performing the bench press lift. Instead, what you want to do is bring your shoulder blades back and in, forcing your chest upwards and making a slight arch in your lower back. In other words, your butt and shoulder blades should be providing most of the base for this lift.

Your chest should be "barrel-chested" so it is maximally expanded upwards. This will ensure the focus of the lift is centered on the pectoral muscles and also allow you to lift heavier weight because it will shorten the distance the bar has to travel from start to finish.

Implementing these changes can take a little getting used to, but they will have a tremendous impact on your long-term muscle building results from using the bench press. Not to mention they will help ensure your immediate safety and prevent long-term injuries from using improper bench pressing form. These tips have been an enormous help to me and I hope they will be to you as well.

Craig Leonard is someone who understands the struggles the average person endures when trying to build muscle and shed unwanted body fat. His passion is inspiring others to transform their bodies and improve their lives.

For more information to help you build muscle, lose fat and bench press more weight, check out Craig's inspirational articles on RippedOut.com.

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